Salisbury, MD — The heart of the Maryland Folk Festival will beat even stronger this year as the Maryland Folklife Area and Stage returns with an all-new lineup of powerful performers and hands-on cultural demonstrators. This signature program themed this year as “Maryland: America in Miniature,” celebrates the deep, diverse traditions that call Maryland home.
This immersive experience brings together music, dance, oral traditions, crafts and heritage practices that represent Maryland’s past, present and future. As the nation prepares to commemorate its 250th anniversary, the Maryland Folklife Area and Stage reminds us that the stories of who we are begin right here.
This year’s Maryland Folklife programming is made possible in part by the generous support of the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority and the Beach to Bay Heritage Area, whose investment in cultural preservation helps ensure that Maryland’s rich traditions continue to thrive and be shared. This project has been financed in part with State funds from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority but does not necessarily reflect its views or policies.
2025 Maryland Folklife Stage Performers
- Kalanidhi Dance Company – Bethesda, MD (kuchipudi)
A premier South Indian classical dance ensemble blending ancient movement with contemporary expression. Kalanidhi brings the vibrant tradition of Kuchipudi to life with graceful precision and powerful storytelling. - Holy Pickers Union – Crisfield, MD (gospel)
This group of African American women—past and present seafood workers—raise their voices in gospel song to honor the legacy of the 1938 Crab Pickers Strike. Their music is a moving testament to faith, labor and legacy on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. - Janice Curtis Greene – Windsor Mills, MD (storytelling and historical reenactment)
Maryland’s Official Griot and a master storyteller, Janice brings African American history alive through rhythm, rap and reenactments of powerful women like Harriet Tubman. - Kalinka Dance Ensemble – Baltimore, MD (Russian folk dance) A multicultural ensemble ranging in age from 6 to 50, Kalinka shares the rich folk-dance traditions of Russia and Central Europe with energetic performances that honor cultural preservation through movement.
- Kate Spanos Irish Dance – College Park, MD (Irish traditional dance and music)
From sean-nós to céilí, Kate Spanos Irish Dance showcases the depth and variety of Ireland’s step dance traditions. Led by dance scholar and performer Dr. Kate Spanos, the ensemble celebrates both heritage and innovation. - Dr. Spyros Koliavasilis – Germantown, MD (Greek traditional & Rebetiko)
Heritage Award winner, cultural preservationist, and oud master Dr. Spyros Koliavasilis and apprentice Nicholas Mitrione share soulful Greek traditions through Rebetiko and Smyrneika, performed on oud, bouzouki, and laouto-guitar. - The Stringbuzzards – Ocean City, MD (bluegrass)
Eastern Shore favorites known for their down-home harmonies and toe-tapping originals. The Stringbuzzards mix Maryland charm with traditional bluegrass grit.
2025 Maryland Folklife Area Demonstrators
- BeachNut Studio – Cecil County (rug hooking)
Colleen Tiefenthal creates vivid hooked rug art inspired by the natural beauty of the Chesapeake Bay. A fiber artist, painter, and sustainability advocate, her work blends tradition with a modern, eco-conscious flair. - Eastern Shore Gyotaku – Wicomico County (gyotaku)
Robby Chin preserves the Japanese tradition of gyotaku fish printing—honoring each sustainably caught fish and the stories they carry from Maryland’s rivers to your table. - Indigo Dye Village – Baltimore County (West African indigo dyeing)
Led by cultural historian Kibibi Ajanku, this immersive experience explores the African roots of indigo dyeing and its significance in African American communities from the Gullah Geechee corridor to Baltimore. - Oishani’s Creative World – Wicomico County (paper quilling)
At just 16 years old, Oishani Das is already a seasoned paper artist and classical vocalist, whose delicate quilled creations reflect her Indian heritage and love for storytelling through art. - Poplar Hill Mansion – Wicomico County (federalist era medicine)
Learn about Dr. John Huston, Salisbury’s first surgeon, and his 1800s home-practice setup during the War of 1812. Discover how medicine, status, and history intersected in Maryland’s Federalist period. - Samuel Wallace – Baltimore County (Jamaican pottery traditions)
2025 Maryland Traditions Heritage Award recipient Samuel Wallace brings traditional Jamaican pottery methods—learned as a youth in St. Elizabeth Parish—to Baltimore, where he teaches and inspires students with vessels formed “from the ground up.” - Beach to Bay Heritage Area – Somerset, Wicomico & Worcester Counties (heritage tourism and preservation)
This grassroots nonprofit works to preserve and promote the Lower Eastern Shore’s cultural, natural and historical assets through community-based heritage tourism and storytelling.
- Maryland 250 Commission – Maryland (America’s semiquincentennial)
Explore Maryland’s contributions to America’s 250-year journey, including the stories of Indigenous peoples, enslaved and free African Americans and all who fought for liberty, life and justice in the Old Line State.
New this year: Our Shore, Our Stories—an audio series capturing the voices and memories of the people who call Salisbury and the Eastern Shore home. Festivalgoers will come across QR codes throughout the Folklife Area which they can scan for intimate audio glimpses into life on the Shore—voices, traditions and stories that echo across generations.
Join us at the 2025 Maryland Folk Festival, September 19–21 in Downtown Salisbury and experience the living traditions of Maryland: America in Miniature in all its vibrant, hands-on glory.
For more information about the 2025 Maryland Folklife Area and Stage, including bios, videos and more, visit https://mdfolkfest.com/maryland-folklife/.
Performer photos, bios, and audio clips are available for download at https://bit.ly/25MDFF-artists Photo credits should be listed and can be found in the file names.
